Quality of life of children with cerebral palsy treated with botulinum toxin: are well-being measures appropriate?
OBJECTIVE
To analyze quality of life (QOL) of children with cerebral palsy (CP) treated with botulinum toxin type A (BTXA).


METHODS
Two QOL evaluation tools, translated into Portuguese, were used: Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) and Child's Caregiver Questionnaire (CCQ). Questionnaires were answered by caregivers on two occasions. Patients were divided into 3 groups: I--patients who had been previously treated with BTXA and who underwent a session of BTXA; II--patients who used BTXA for the first time; III--patients previously treated with BTXA but did not in this interval.


RESULTS
Sixty-eight patients were evaluated. In group I (n=26) the functional ability had improvement for all types of CP (p=0.04), and tetraplegic increased interaction/communication (p=0.02). In group II (n=14) positioning improved (p=0.02). Group III (n=28) showed no change in QOL.


CONCLUSIONS
PODCI and CCQ are able to capture outcome in children with CP.
Assis
Taísa R Simões de
TR
Neuropediatrics Center, General Hospital, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Forlin
Edilson
E
Bruck
Isac
I
Antoniuk
Sérgio A
SA
dos Santos
Lúcia H Coutinho
LH
D000293:Adolescent; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A